Auto-expand/Hover behavior for Vertical Tabs

Brave Feature Requests Desktop Requests
1

I am a frequent user of Brave and I appreciate the focus on privacy and speed. However, I noticed a missing UX feature in the Vertical Tabs implementation compared to Microsoft Edge.

The Feature: In Edge, when using Vertical Tabs in “collapsed” mode (icons only), the sidebar auto-expands on hover (when the mouse pointer is over it) and collapses back when the mouse leaves.

Why it matters:

  1. Screen Real Estate: It allows users to see the full page/video content (like live streams) while still being able to quickly read tab titles.

  2. Accessibility: It reduces the number of clicks needed to switch between multiple tabs.

  3. User Retention: Many users (myself included) find this a “deal-breaker” when choosing between Edge and Brave for multitasking.

Please consider adding a “Hover to Expand” toggle in the Vertical Tabs settings.

2

It does expand when you hover while in collapsed mode.

3

Although I tried all the options before writing my complaint, I somehow discovered that (Auto Expand on hover when minimized) must be enabled. Thank you for your participation .